As Managing Director for North America, Carlos is responsible for the strategic direction and overall performance of ACCIONA in North America.
With over 20 years of experience in the development and delivery of large and complex infrastructure projects, Carlos brings extensive knowledge acquired in different market conditions and environments.
He previously was the Managing Director of Ferrovial Agroman in Canada, where he lead its successful implementation, growth strategy and operations for 9 years. Prior to this, he served four years in Webber LLC, a construction company based in Houston, as Director of Operations, responsible for all aspects of the company’s performance.
Before moving to North America, Carlos assumed managing responsibilities for Budimex S.A. in Warsaw, as Director of the Infrastructure Division where he was instrumental in the re-organization of the company’s project execution and bidding strategy.
Carlos holds an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School and a Master in Civil Engineering from the Polytechnic University in Madrid.
With over 19 years in the banking sector in senior executive positions in Canada, UK and Spain, Barbara owns two Bachelor Degrees in Economics and Business Administration, in 2000 by the National University Mar Del Plata, (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and in 2005 by the Rovira i Virgili University (Spain). Currently she is Chief Representative Officer at Caixabank S.A Representative Office in Canada since 2018.
Postgrade “Leading the future- International Area” by IESE in 2013.
Postgrade “Leading effectively in a changing world” by IE business school in 2014.
Postgrade “Informacion y Asesoramiento Financiero” by Universidad Pompeu Fabra in 2021.
Aliya Somani brings 18 years of professional experience working in communications, marketing, business strategy and international recruitment.
In 2015, Aliya launched the IE University Canada office and maintains the position of Managing Director.
Aliya holds an international MBA from IE Business School (2009), and a BA from Western University (2004).
Professional engineer with more than 20 years of professional experience leading projects in renewable energy and oil and gas industries mainly, from research to production, engineering and construction in international projects, having played leadership roles in 8 different countries and 4 continents.
Currently leading the business development of the Spanish multinational Group Cartago in Canada and USA; combining professional activity with collaborations on the steering committee of the Spanish and European Chambers of Commerce in Canada and the Honorary Consulate of Spain in Alberta and Northwest Territories.
Eduardo Galnares brings over 30 years of international experience in the construction and infrastructure sector, with a strong track record of leading large-scale, multibillion-dollar civil and building projects across Europe and North America.
Since 2021, Eduardo has served as Senior Vice President Canada East and Project Director at Finch West LRT in Toronto, leading the delivery of complex, multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects. Between 2015 and 2021, he expanded operations in the Canadian market, securing major public contracts and strengthening the company’s presence in North America.
Prior to relocating to Canada, he held senior leadership roles at Dragados S.A. in Spain, including Regional Director for Northern Spain and Vice President overseeing civil works and building divisions across several regions. He began his career as a Project Manager.
His portfolio includes major P3 projects such as the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Finch West LRT in Toronto, the REM in Montreal, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, as well as complex tunnel projects in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto.
Eduardo holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Cantabria and is recognized for his operational excellence and strategic leadership.
As Vice President of Técnicas Reunidas branch in Canada, TR Canada E&C Inc and Business Development Director for North America, Eduardo acts as the lead commercial representative of TR group in US and Canada and manages the operations of TR office in Calgary.
Eduardo has worked in TR group since 2010, with a strong focus on commercial activities and extensive experience in international energy projects, including regions such as USA, Russia, Abu Dhabi, China, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia and Chile. Since his assignation to Canada in late 2016, he has contributed significantly to the commercial development of TR group in the country.
Eduardo holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering from Universad Politécnica de Madrid, a MSc in Business Administration and a MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering.
Fernando Canales, CEO of TYPSA Canada for the last 7 years, has over 25 years of experience
in transportation projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Canada. He has participated as
a Project Manager and Steering Committee member on transit projects from the Eglinton West
Extension Advance Tunnels in Toronto, to the Riyadh Metro Project in Saudi Arabia.
His expertise also spans high-speed rail lines in Spain, highways in the Netherlands, and urban
transit systems in Canada, including the Toronto Subways Extension.
Fernando holds a master’s degree in civil engineering, he is a Professional Engineer in Ontario,
and a member of the Spanish Council of Engineers and the Ontario Society of Professional
Engineers, Canadian Council for P3 and the Tunnel Association of Canada. He has also held
memberships in the Saudi and Bahrain Engineering Council.
Fernando has worked closely with private clients and public agencies, with civil construction
and civil consultants from Spain, UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, South Korea, US and Canada gathering expertise along the way in the different ways
that people around the globe faces civil engineering challenges. He brings to the Chamber an
international and multicultural point of view
Ignacio is the Global Director – Contract Delivery of Hatch. He is a Civil-Structural Engineer and seasoned Project Director with nearly 25 years of experience in large-scale EPCM, P3, and Design-Build infrastructure projects across Europe, Australia, and Canada.
He specializes in rail systems, including freight, mass transit, and high-speed railway systems. He began his career overseeing complex temporary works design departments for high-speed rail projects in Spain, later transitioning to construction with a focus on tunneling and elevated structures.
In 2010, he moved to Australia, becoming the Construction Director for the Sydney Metro elevated portion and signature cable-stay bridge. In 2016, he joined the Australian Rail Track Corporation as Project Director for the P3 portion of the Inland Rail program. In 2018, he and his family were relocated to Canada, serving as Project Director with SNC Lavalin for the RER program and Trillium project in Ottawa. In 2019, he joined Aecon and NouvLR as Technical Director on the REM project in Montreal until August 2022. After that he joined ONxpress as Technical Director for the GO Expansion Program until mid-2024, after which he moved to Hatch to establish the Contractor Delivery practice. This practice focuses on enhancing the relationship and delivery between engineering and construction to achieve better-integrated results for clients worldwide.
José Carlos Hassan Suárez launched Zavala Civitas’ Canadian operations and office from Toronto. Mr. Hassan Suarez brings a truly global background with experience in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. His career has been focused mainly on the Executive Search and Private Banking industries.
He co-founded the travel company Mondevia and worked for BNP Paribas and JP Morgan. He graduated with a double master’s degree in business administration and law from the University San Pablo CEU.
Patrick Nadeau is a veteran manager with more than 25 years of experience in sales, finance and managing departments, notably in the International Services department and in the Investor Relations and Rating Agency department at Desjardins Group.
Mr. Nadeau started his career at Desjardins in 2005 as Senior Advisor in the Capital and Acquisition department. In 2011, he was nominated Director and became responsible for the building of Desjardins Group’s investor relations department, where he was instrumental to maintain Desjardins Group’s reputation as a prime issuer on both domestic and international financial markets for more than 10 years.
Thanks to his know-how of the international services and his strong international trade ties, Mr. Nadeau was named Senior Director of the efflorescent International Services Department at Desjardins in 2022.
Before joining Desjardins, Mr. Nadeau has held various positions in the corporate and financial industry, including Director at YPG Co., Financial Analyst at TAL Global Asset Management and Advisor to the Treasurer at BCE Inc.
Born in Montreal, Mr. Nadeau holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Commerce (BCom) from Laval University.
Very active, Patrick Nadeau can be seen cycling in various regions in Québec and in the Greater Montreal area where he lives with his three children.